Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation

by Fiery Moon

“Then what is your purpose here? Visiting a friend?” Jiang Qi continued to ask patiently, but a killing intent previously kept under covers came billowing out without restraint. As long as Xiao Chen’s answer was not satisfactory, he would immediately make a move. Anyone that was here to cause trouble in Linlang Pavilion had only one outcome—death!

  Jiang Qi’s Superior Grade Martial Master aura spread out into the surrounding area, his killing intent locking down onto Xiao Chen. The biting cold killing intent even caused the surrounding people to shiver. Their gazes as they looked at Xiao Chen were as though they were looking at a dead man.

  Everyone around could feel the thick killing intent. Actually, this was a result of an insufficient cultivation base. The killing intent of a true expert could form into a string-like network, focusing all of their killing intent only on the target, and leaving any irrelevant onlookers in their surroundings untouched.

  Xiao Chen, who was now surrounded by the killing intent, did not display any fear and simply spoke casually, “I do not have any friends here.”

  Jiang Qi laughed coldly, “Forgive me for this offense then.”

  “Hu!”

  The surrounding air seemed to turn cold, and a thick, cold Qi gathered around his body. Ice covered his fist as he shouted out loudly and threw a punch at Xiao Chen.

  Xiao Chen took a step back and spun Gao Long’s body around in the air, ruthlessly throwing him towards Jiang Qi. He then unhurriedly took out the jade bottle containing the Fasting Pills and gently opened the bottle cap. A thick medicinal fragrance immediately spread out and pervaded the surroundings. Very soon, the entire great floor of the first level was fully saturated in this fragrance.

  “What pill is this—why is it so fragrant?”

  “Could this fellow be an alchemist?”

  “I think it is very likely. The behavior of those alchemists is usually very strange. He wouldn’t be this calm if that wasn’t the case.”

  The chatter of the crowd quickly filled the entire great hall, every conversation discussing this fragrance. These were all people people of some status, and although they had encountered genuine pills before, they had never come across a pill with such a rich and thick fragrance. Instantly they viewed Xiao Chen as a mysterious alchemist of high rank.

  The corners of Xiao Chen’s mouth curved upwards under the cloak, “Is there no one that wants to do business here in this big Linlang Pavilion?”

  Jiang Qi, who had just caught Gao Long, casually threw the young guard to the ground. When he heard Xiao Chen’s words and saw the bottle of pills in Xiao Chen’s hand, he knew that he might have gotten himself into some trouble. He hurriedly cusped his hands, “Senior, pardon me for my poor manners. My humble self is dumb, so please forgive me.”

  Although Xiao Chen’s strength was only in the Inferior Grade Martial Disciple realm, it was normal for Jiang Qi to address him as senior if he was capable of refining high grade pills.

  Gao Long laid on the ground, groaning in pain. Xiao Chen used a great deal of force when he threw him towards Jiang Qi. Coupled with Jiang Qi casually tossing him away, his whole body was now in pain. After hearing Jiang Qi’s words, Gao Long felt as though his whole body was drenched in cold water. He was extremely unlucky today... He had actually treated an alchemist like a suspicious criminal and offended him.

  Xiao Chen did not pay any attention to Jiang Qi’s change in attitude, as all of it was within the scope of his expectations, and he did not find it strange at all. He dismissively replied, “Stop speaking rubbish and bring me to see your appraiser. I want to auction off these pills at this coming end-of-month auction.”

  Jiang Qi cusped his hands in gratitude once again and led Xiao Chen towards the inner areas. As they made their way in, Jiang Qi tried to fish for information about his origins. Of course, Xiao Chen was not fooled and spoke a bunch of half truths to throw him off.

  Looking at Xiao Chen’s departing figure, the people in the quiet hall quickly turned to noisy discussion again after half a day. The sounds of people discussing rose and fell in succession.

  “This alchemist is actually here to auction things away. Old Chen, do you remember when the Linlang pavilion last auctioned medicinal pills?”

  “During the large-scale auction last year, there were some grade three pills.”

  “I think this year’s large-scale auction might be held in advance this year. These pills the mysterious man has brought to the table are definitely superior to grade three pills.”

  “Nonsense, how could grade three pills be so fragrant? I have seen grade four pills before—and they can’t hold a candle to that earlier fragrance,” a person beside the man who spoke earlier refuted him immediately.

  “How could it be? To refine a grade four pill, one must at least be a rank four alchemist. Within the whole Luojie Prefecture, there are only a handful of rank four alchemists. Why would they come to our insignificant Mohe City?”

  In a short moment within the great hall, there were intense debates about what grade these mysterious pills could possibly be.

  …...

  At this moment within the inner area, the pill appraiser, Hu Lao, had his forehead filled with sweat as he struggled to assess the grade of Xiao Chen’s pills. Fasting Pills: after consuming one, an individual would not have any need to eat or drink for the duration of an entire month. What kind of inconceivable pill was this? It was totally unheard of in the Great Qin Nation.

  The appraisers of Linlang Pavilion were, naturally, not bad. They were all nurtured by the Linlang Pavilion itself. They went through many examinations before they were assigned to a pavilion to officially work as an appraiser. Furthermore, the appraisers of Linlang Pavilion started from the smallest locations first, and then slowly moved up.

  Thus, even Mohe City’s Linlang pavilion appraiser was equivalent to any of the other appraisers from the auction houses of the larger prefecture cities.

  Hu Lao looked carefully at the pill in his hand. He was sure that this pill was not casually made by just anyone. When it came to its fragrance, color, or smoothness, they were all beyond something a regular person could accomplish. However, he was certain he had never heard of any pill in this world called a Fasting Pill. This left him without the foggiest idea on how to evaluate it, which proved to be a massive headache for him as time trickled on.

  Xiao Chen gently took a sip of the tea placed on the tea table beside him as he observed Hu Lao repeatedly attempting to make sense of the pill. He interjected in an impatient manner, “Hu Lao, after inspecting it for so long, can you give me a price already?”

  Hu Lao wiped the sweat off his forehead and decided, in the end, to play it safe. With an apologetic tone, he said, “Would you be willing to please wait for a moment? I am unable to appraise this pill, so allow me to invite the pavilion master over.”

  Xiao Chen placed the tea cup down and made a hand gesture that indicated for him to do as he pleased. After all, he was quite confident in Linlang Pavilion’s ability to appraise this Fasting Pill.

  Chapter 28: Nangong Yan

  After Hu Lao took his leave, he quickly headed to the fourth floor of Linlang Pavilion and went to the pavilion master’s room. However, he found that the doors were shut and there were two guards on duty in front of them.

  The doors of the pavilion master’s room were normally open. When found otherwise, it usually meant he was receiving an important guest and that it was inconvenient to interrupt him. However, the current matter at hand was urgent. If news traveled of Linlang Pavilion’s inability to appraise a pill, its reputation would take a big hit.

  “Brothers, I need to meet with the pavilion master. Can you please inform him?” Hu Lao said in a heavy tone.

  The guards outside naturally recognized Hu Lao. However, the pavilion master had strictly instructed them not to let anyone interrupt him. The guards were somewhat put on the spot, “Hu Lao, the pavilion master is currently meeting with an important guest
. He has instructed us not to let anyone disturb him.”

  Hu Lao felt somewhat disappointed because the situation was as he had expected. However, when he thought of Xiao Chen’s impatient demeanor, he was under the impression that Xiao Chen might leave if he kept him waiting. Thus, he urgently added, “I need to see the pavilion master for something very important. Would you two please help me out here? I will take responsibility for anything that happens.”

  The guards were once again placed in a difficult position. The position of the appraisers in Linlang Pavilion was extremely high, to the point that even the pavilion master displayed excessive decorum in front of them. The positions of these two guards were vastly inferior to Hu Lao’s. If it truly was a major matter, then they might be implicated. However, the pavilion master had indeed instructed them not to let anyone disturb him.

  Seeing the two men hesitate, Hu Lao hardened his heart and said in a cold voice, “This matter is extremely important. If it is foiled as a result of this, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

  Upon hearing this, the two guards finally chose to compromise and let Hu Lao in, “Hu Lao, let us say this first. If the pavilion master blames anyone, you have to shoulder all the responsibility.”

  Hu Lao nodded his head and immediately rushed in.

  Within the room, the pavilion master appeared to be in an excellent mood. He smiled at the girl dressed in male clothing across from him, “Feixue, you have been here for a few days already and only now do you remember Uncle Nangong? How could you?”

  Dressed in a man’s attire, the alert Feng Feixue gently smiled, “Uncle Yan, have I not come already?”

  Pointing to the tea leaves on the table, she continued speaking, “I know that you like the Jun Mountain Silver Needle Tea. I have purchased half their stock from Wenxuan Teashop in the Imperial Capital, just for you.”

  When Nangong Yan heard this, he laughed loudly. It appeared he actually did not mind Feng Feixue coming to visit him a few days late, “I haven't seen you for six years. You have grown up to be so pretty now. You must have the young masters of the imperial capital coiled around your fingers, right?”

  When Feng Feixue heard this, she blushed slightly and smiled, “Uncle Yan, stop teasing me.”

  Nangong Yan seemed to remember something as he suddenly said, “Ah, I almost forgot, you are already betrothed to someone. How is that lad from the Bai Clan? I’ll check him out for you when I have time. If he is not good, then I will help you cancel this engagement.”

  Feng Feixue felt warmth surge in her heart. She believed that the old man in front of her would definitely stay true to his words. He certainly had the abilities to do so. Not to mention that this old man had always treated her like she was his granddaughter.

  At that moment, the sound of Hu Lao’s footsteps could be heard. Nangong Yan’s expression changed, irritation quickly building on his face. He had already instructed the guards not to let anyone in, so why was there still someone coming to interrupt them?

  Hu Lao noticed the atmosphere in the room, as well as saw Nangong Yan’s expression, so he knew that Nangong Yan was waiting for him to explain himself. If he did not have a good reason, then he was absolutely in trouble.

  After all, this pavilion master in front of him had a different status compared to other pavilion masters. He did not have to completely follow the rules.

  After he paid his respects, Hu Lao spoke in an apologetic tone, “I’m sorry for this interruption, but the matter at hand concerns the reputation of our Linlang Pavilion. Thus, I had no choice but to come and bother you…”

  After giving Feng Feixue a glance, Hu Lao fell quiet.

  Nangong Yan understood what he meant and replied, “Speak, there are no outsiders here.”

  Hu Lao nodded his head and took out the jade bottle filled with Fasting Pills, passing it to Nangong Yan right away, “A mysterious alchemist came today, and he wants to auction these pills. I was unable to appraise the grade.”

  Nangong Yan received the jade bottle, but what he saw shocked him. He was very clear on Hu Lao’s abilities to appraise pills. Regardless of theory or knowledge, there were few superior to him. To think there was actually a pill that he could not appraise.

  What kind of pill was this?

  He took out a Fasting Pill and brought it to the front of his eye to inspect it carefully. The fragrance exuded by the pill in front of him entered into Nangong Yan’s nose. What a fragrant pill, Nangong Yan praised in his heart.

  In his sea of consciousness, within a boundless mental world, there was a green sphere that continuously rotated. There were infinite green ripples emerging in that mental space.

  An equally green energy thread that could not be seen with the naked eye shot out from Nangong Yan’s sea of consciousness and made a connection to the Fasting Pill.

  In an instant, Nangong Yan used his Spiritual Awareness to enter into the inner area of the pill. There was a mist-like Qi inside it obstructing his view, and the further he went in, the thicker the mist became.

  Nangong Yan turned pale with fright, as he had never encountered such a situation before. If he did not leave now, he might not be able to come out later.

  He pulled back his Spiritual Awareness with some lingering fears. Looking at the stripes and the luster of the pill, Nangong Yan’s expression turned grave. He was one of the best at alchemy within the Great Qin Nation. Just by taking a look at any pill, he was able to tell the refining method and the skill level of the alchemist.

  However, this pill in front of him was actually able to stop his Spiritual Awareness from entering the core of the pill. He was sure that the refining method was not the mainstream method of the continent. It could very possibly be a long-lost ancient method of refining pills.

  Thinking of this, Nangong Yan became very excited. He had been stuck at the peak of a Rank 7 alchemist for many years already. Having lacked the opportunity to increase his rank all along, this could be his chance.

  Outsiders only believed that the seventh rank of the alchemist vocation was the peak, but he knew it was unquestionably far from the peak. He had seen with his own eyes alchemists of even higher ranks.

  The distance between the two was like that of heaven and earth.

  “Did this person say what pill this is?” Nangong Yan calmed himself down.

  Hearing Nangong Yan’s tone, Hu Lao finally relaxed. This pill had indeed aroused the pavilion master’s interest. He nodded his head and explained, “He called this the ‘Fasting Pill’. After consuming this pill, there is no need to eat or drink anything for a month. I have never heard of this kind of pill before, so I had no idea as to what kind of price I can set.”

  Fasting Pill? Hearing those miraculous effects Nangong Yan felt shocked, and then he laughed out loud, “I was right, Hu Lao. I will remember your contributions. After this month's auction, I will transfer you to a prefecture city’s Linlang Pavilion branch.”

  Hu Lao felt joyful in his heart and hurriedly cupped his hands in gratitude. To be promoted from Mohe City to a prefecture city was a promotion of three ranks. He was originally under the impression that he would never manage to reach such heights in his lifetime, but who knew that his dream would be realized in one go like this?

  Feng Feixue, who was at the side all the while, did not understand Nangong Yan’s excitement. Although it had miraculous effects, it did not seem especially useful to cultivators. Why would her Uncle Yan view it with such importance?

  Nangong Yan looked at Feng Feixue and smiled, “Girl, come with me to see this senior. See if we can gain any fortuitous encounters.”

  This aligned with Feng Feixue’s intentions, as she felt a little curious about this miraculous pill and the one behind its creation. Thus, she followed Hu Lao downstairs to the inner area of the pavilion.

  Soon, the three of them reached the door of the inner area. Nangong Yan threw a quick look at Xiao Chen, but his immediate response was the bitterness o
f disappointment. He shook his head dejectedly. With one look, he could tell Xiao Chen’s strength. The strength of his core was unbelievably weak, making it obvious that this was an alchemist who had only awakened his Spiritual Awareness recently.

  Xiao Chen nervously clutched the black cloak around his body. The pressure released by Nangong Yan was too enormous. With that one look he had seen through the cloak and wholly exposed everything about him under his gaze.

  Seeing Feng Feixue follow behind, he was shocked. Why was this woman here? Her background was indeed very mysterious.

  When Feng Feixue saw Xiao Chen completely covered in the black cloak, she felt incredibly shocked. Based on the blood vessels she could see, she could identify this person as Xiao Chen. She never thought that he truly was an alchemist, not to mention one who was able to shock Nangong Yan.

  Although her heart was in turmoil, Feng Feixue did not change her expression. Since Xiao Chen had dressed in such a style, he definitely did not wish to reveal his identity. If she behaved in too shocked a manner, it would cause suspicion on Nangyong Yan’s side.

  “This little brother, were you the one who refined this Fasting Pill?” Although Nangong Yan was not able to see his face, he was able to extrapolate his age, and immediately bluntly asked this question.

  Xiao Chen did his best to calm himself. Although Nangong Yan did not intentionally release his own aura, the tiny green sphere in Xiao Chen’s sea of consciousness could not help but continue trembling. This was an instinctive fear stemming from the core when meeting with a high-ranked alchemist whose core exceeded his.

  Xiao Chen, who was under the cloak, gently released his breath and rapidly flitted through his thoughts. In a short moment, he replied in a deep voice, “No, this was refined by my master.”

  Indeed, it was as I expected, Nangong Yan thought in his heart as he went on a happy streak of inquiries, “How may I address your master? This old man recognizes all of the alchemists within the Great Qin Nation.”

  This pill was refined by myself, how could there be a master? Xiao Chen laughed coldly in his heart. As of now, his mental state had already recovered. He coldly replied, “Is Linlang Pavilion running a business, or does it investigate the backgrounds of those that step into its space? If you are not interested in making a deal, I’ll be taking my leave.”